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Abstract Udell, Dorey, and Wynne (in press) have reported an experiment in which wolves, shelter dogs, and pet dogs all showed a significant preference for begging from a person who faced them (seer) over a person whose back was turned to them (blind experimenter). On tests with the blind person's eyes covered with a bucket, a book, or a camera, pet dogs showed more preference for the seer than did wolves and shelter dogs. We agree with the authors' position that most of these findings are best explained by preexperimental learning experienced by the subjects. We argue, however, that the perspective-taking task is not a good test of the domestication theory or of the theory of mind in dogs. The problem we see is that use of the perspective-taking task, combined with preexperimental learning in all the subjects, strongly biases the outcome in favor of a behavioral learning interpretation. Tasks less influenced by preexperimental training would provide less confounded tests of domestication and theory of mind.
Keywords Comparative Cognition . Dogs . Theory of mind
Udell, Dorey and Wynne (in press) have reported an initial study (Experiment 1) in which pet dogs, shelter dogs, and wolves chose to beg food from a person facing them with eyes uncovered (seer) or a person whose eyes were occluded in different ways (blind individual). Overall, pet dogs chose the seer more often than did shelter dogs and wolves. All types of subjects tested showed significant preference for the seer when the blind individual's back was turned to them, but only pet dogs tested indoors and outdoors showed a significant preference when a book covered the blind individual's eyes. None of the canine groups showed a significant preference for the seer when a camera covered the blind individual's eyes, and only pet dogs tested indoors significantly preferred the seer when a bucket covered the blind individual's eyes. In a second study (Experiment 2), dogs and wolves more readily learned to beg food from a seer with a bucket on her shoulder than from a blind individual with a bucket on her head.
These experiments were carried out to test two different but related theories. One theory is that dogs show theory of mind or an understanding that other...